New Colorado Law Would Allow School Nurse to Administer Medical Marijuana to Students

A bill in the Colorado Legislature and passed in the Colorado House last week would allow school nurses to dispense medical marijuana to students.

Colorado House Bill HB18-1286 would extend existing Colorado law, commonly known as Jack's Law, that only allows parents and caregivers to administer medical marijuana to their child at school. The bill has now been introduced in the Colorado Senate

Allowing school nurses to administer the drug would remove the often burdensome task of a parent having to go to the school to give their child the drug in the amount and frequency prescribed.

School nurses already administer prescription drugs per doctor's orders and the law would give them the right and protections to do the same with medical marijuana. Children who are given medical marijuana at school must take it in a non-smokable form. CBD oil is one of the more popular ways for a child to take the drug.

Physicians in Colorado don't prescribe but can recommend the use of marijuana for some medical conditions. There is concern that if the bill passes, school nurses may be stuck between parents' wishes and lack of consensus among the medical community on the use of marijuana as a viable treatment.

The bill has specific and strict rules for the delivery, storage, and dispensing of marijuana at a school. Also, the most recent version of the bill does not require a school nurse to administer marijuana giving them the choice to decline if they choose.